Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Fabio Borini is a good fit for Brendan Rodgers philosophy

Brendan Rodgers Anfield revolution is under way. Fabio Borini is going to be Rodgers' first signing at Liverpool. The 21-year old Italian is an excellent addition to the squad at Liverpool. Observers may baulk at his suggested price tag of 8 million pounds, but it is still decent value compared to the inflated prices that Kenny Dalglish paid for average British players.

Rodgers doesn't come across as the average British coach. He believes in a certain philosophy derived from Spain and Barcelona, and only last week suggested that he could at times play with a false nine that was so integral in the Euro 2012 victory for La Furia Roja. Rodgers implemented a very composed and fluid possession based game at Swansea, and clearly believes that he can incorporate at least some of those principles at Liverpool as well.

While Rodgers may not be able to imprint his possession-based philosophy on every member of the squad, it is vital that any new additions sanctioned by him are catered to his long-term tactical vision for the team. In that light Borini is an excellent signing. Rodgers has already worked with him during Swansea's promotion winning campaign. He had a huge impact during his 3 months on loan at the end of the season, contributing goals, assists and excellent fluidity allied with movement enabling midfielders and wide players to get in goalscoring positions by dragging defenders away.

His season at Roma could also be considered a success. While his tally of 9 goals might seem limited for a forward, his overall play was of an exceptional standard. In fact the most important aspect of his game was that he fitted into a very fluid system that Luis Enrique tried to implement at the Giallorossi, very much in the same vein as Pep Guardiola at Barcelona. He was excellent at linking play, and moving across the pitch to join dynamic triangles while maintaining possession in the attacking third.

While Fabio Borini might not be the most exciting and stylish signing, he is a player that fits into Brendan Rodgers game plan of keeping possession of the ball, as well as possessing an understanding of tactical fluidity, another key aspect of the new manager's vision for the club. With Luis Suarez, Craig Bellamy and Fabio Borini, Rodgers now has three forwards who fit in with his style of play. The key question is whether Andy Carroll is in the manager's plans. A loan move to AC Milan could now very realistically be the next step in Rodgers' Reds Revolution towards a possession based game.